Wishful Fire
by TheObscureFluffs
Summary: [sequel to 'Remember Your Memory'] Sonic and Knuckles are together and married. What could be better? Well, there is one thing, as Knuckles starts to feel like there's something missing... (AU, Main!Sonic X Boom!Knuckles)


Sonic sped across the water, holding Knuckles close to him as he looked around. "I swear it's worth it, Knuckles. It'll be amazing, I promise!" he shouted over the swishing water under his quickly-moving shoes.  
"I can't wait!" Knuckles replied. He was clinging onto Sonic for dear life, but still smiling.

Eventually, Sonic came to a steady stop. They were in a park, on top of a huge hill. Sonic considered it lucky, as there were few people around to disturb them, so it was quiet.  
"Look up," he said simply, pointing at the night sky.  
Knuckles looked up. "Whoa..."  
The place they were standing gave them the best possible view of the stars. And with the sky being crystal clear that night, they could see the stars in all of their beautiful glory.  
"Like it?" Sonic asked with a grin, though already knowing the answer from Knuckles' expression.  
"Yeah..." Knuckles replied, smiling softly. "It's beautiful!"  
Sonic smiled back, then laid down on the soft grass, placing his hands behind his head and getting comfortable. "I always came here on my own whenever I needed a breather." He winked. "Now I've got someone to go with."  
Knuckles lay down next to him. "I can see why you like it here. This is the best view I've ever seen!"  
Sonic nodded, then directed his gaze to a couple playing with their kids off in the distance. He couldn't help giggling with amusement at the sight.  
"Whacha giggling about?" Knuckles asked with a smile.  
"Over there," Sonic replied, pointing to the couple and their kids.  
Knuckles looked to where Sonic was pointing.  
"Awww," he said, his smile growing wider. "They look so happy..."  
As Knuckles watched the family, he felt a mixture of happiness and sadness. He was perfectly happy with Sonic, but he still felt like something was missing from his life...  
Sonic, practically able to sense when something was off with Knuckles by now since they were so close, gently placed his hand on his husband's. "You alright?"  
"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine," Knuckles replied. "Just...thinking, that's all."  
"'Bout what?" Sonic asked. He gazed back out at the family. " _That_?"  
Knuckles nodded. "Yeah..."  
Sonic didn't understand at first, then perked his ears up as it hit him. "Ohh... it's the kids, huh?" He pointed at the two children running around and frowned. "You want kids..."  
"Yeah," Knuckles admitted, smiling nervously. He blushed a little in embarrassment.  
"I guess that makes sense," Sonic muttered, saddening a little. "You've never really had a family or anything, huh?"  
Knuckles shook his head sadly. "No..."  
Sonic smiled, wrapping his arms around Knuckles' waist and hugging him gently. "Well, you've got me now, don't cha?" he asked, showing Knuckles the ring on his hand for emphasis.  
Knuckles blushed. "Yeah," he replied, smiling softly. He nuzzled Sonic affectionately.  
Sonic nuzzled him back. "I get what cha mean though. You want family besides just me, right?"  
"R-right," Knuckles replied. "Would...would that be okay with you?"  
Sonic took a long pause, wanting to really think about it. "...Y'think I'd make a good dad?" he asked.  
Knuckles nodded. "Mmhmm! Totally!"  
He paused for a moment. "...would I make a good dad?"  
"You kiddin'?" Sonic chuckled, placing his hands firmly on Knuckles' shoulders. "You'd be enough dad for the two of us!"  
Knuckles giggled, blushing lightly. "You really think so?"  
"'Course I do!" Sonic exclaimed.  
He glanced up at the sky, then grinned as he saw a shooting star. "Hey, check it out, Knux!" he said, pointing. "Better make a wish."  
"Oooh, pretty!"  
Knuckles shut his eyes, quickly making the first wish he thought of.

Suddenly, in a poof of light, something appeared in his arms. A baby echidna, to be precise.  
"Wh-whoa, wha..." Knuckles was taken completely by surprise.  
Sonic's eyes went wide. "Uhh..."  
He leaned close, staring at the light blue baby curiously. He reached out, poking the little bundle of fur to see if it was actually alive.  
The little furball stirred, yawning quietly. Her eyes fluttered open to reveal bright green irises, just like Sonic's. She stared up curiously at Sonic and Knuckles, then smiled.  
Knuckles' heart melted.  
Sonic nearly jumped in surprise; her eyes were easily a perfect copy of his own.  
"H-hey there," he said softly, smiling and lightly scratching the baby's tummy. He stared up at the sky, then looked over at Knuckles. "Did you...?"  
Knuckles laughed nervously. "Y-yeah...wasn't expecting it to actually come true, though!"  
The baby giggled as Sonic scratched her tummy, letting out a quiet rumbling, almost purr-like sound.  
Sonic's smile widened. "So... she's ours then, Knux."  
Knuckles smiled. "Wow...I guess she is!" Happy tears began to form in his eyes.  
"Aww…" Sonic said with a chuckle, standing up and gently hugging Knuckles. "We'll head to Vanilla's tomorrow, alright? She should be able to teach us how to take care of her."  
Knuckles nodded. "Sounds good!"  
He thought for a moment. "What should we name her?"  
Sonic frowned, thinking hard on it. "Not sure. Any ideas?"  
"Hmmm..." Knuckles looked deep in thought. "Oh, I know: Skylar! 'Cause she's blue like the sky, and I wished for her on a star in the sky! What do you think?"  
Sonic smiled and nodded his head. "Works for me!"  
He looked down to the baby and tilted his head. "You like that, Skylar?"  
Skylar giggled in reply.  
"And we could call her Sky for short!" Knuckles suggested.  
"I like that!" Sonic exclaimed.  
He grinned, then picked up his husband and started running back to their house. "But it's past this kid's bedtime! We gotta get her home!"  
Skylar yawned and cuddled into Knuckles' chest, already beginning to drift off.  
Knuckles smiled. "Yeah, let's get Sky home."

Sonic brought Knuckles back to their house, then looked around for something he could make a bed out of. "Where should we put her down to sleep?" he asked.  
"Oh, um..." Knuckles hadn't thought about that. "I dunno..."  
Sonic let out a small 'hm' sound as he thought about it. "...Well," He laughed a bit, "doesn't look like y'wanna let her go. Why not just have her sleep with us?" he suggested.  
Knuckles smiled. "Would that really be okay?"  
"Don't see why it wouldn't be," Sonic said. He lightly pet the baby's head. "Hopefully she won't get too attached to it though; we'll have to get a crib for her eventually."  
Knuckles nodded. He gently nuzzled the sleeping baby. "Hey, by the way, did you know that baby echidnas are called 'puggles'?"  
"Puggles?" Sonic repeated. He chuckled, placing his hands on Knuckles; arms. "I bet you were a cute puggle too."  
Knuckles blushed and chuckled. Then he yawned.  
"Heh, just watching Sky sleep is making me sleepy."  
"Then you need sleep too," Sonic said simply. He walked into the bedroom with Knuckles, then crawled onto the bed, promptly gesturing his hands out for Knuckles to follow suit.  
Knuckles climbed in too, Skylar resting on his chest.  
"I can't believe it," Knuckles said quietly. "I'm...I'm a dad."  
Tears began to form in his eyes again as he smiled widely at the light blue puggle in his arms.  
Sonic wiped a few of his tears away, though his own eyes were shimmering with oncoming tears too. "Same here, Knux."  
"We're gonna be the best family ever," Knuckles said with a grin.  
Sonic nodded. "Of course we are!"  
He smirked, leaning over and giving Knuckles a soft kiss. "Hehe, I love you..."  
Knuckles blushed and giggled. "I love you too."  
Sonic smiled softly; even after marriage, Knuckles still blushed at his affection.  
He laid down on the bed, then got comfortable and slowly drifted off.  
Knuckles leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the head, then did the same for Skylar. He smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

Once morning came around, Sonic let out a huge yawn and stretched his limbs out. He looked over at Knuckles and their new daughter, then leaned over, giving Knuckles a small wake-up kiss.  
Knuckles stirred, then his eyes fluttered open. He noticed Skylar in his arms and smiled wide.  
"I'm so glad it wasn't just a dream!" he said.  
Sonic smiled. "Me too!"  
He got off the bed, then placed a hand on his chin. "So, you want to-go or should I make breakfast?" he asked.  
Knuckles thought about it. "I think to-go this time, since it's faster," he replied. "I want to go see Vanilla and Cream today, so we can show them our baby!"  
Sonic nodded. "Alright! Be back in a Sonic second!"  
He revved up, then sped out of the house.  
Skylar stirred a bit, but otherwise didn't seem ready to wake up yet.  
"I guess babies have to sleep a lot, huh?" Knuckles said softly, smiling at how precious the sleeping puggle looked.

Sonic came back soon enough, carrying two to-go boxes and sitting beside Knuckles. He set Skylar down on his pillow, then offered Knuckles one of the boxes. "Here y'go!" he exclaimed with a smile.  
"Thanks!"  
Knuckles took the box and soon began eating his breakfast.  
"By the way," he said in between bites, "what do we feed her?" he asked, referring to Skylar.  
Sonic looked over to the baby. "Well, Vanilla probably has some stuff we can give her," he figured.  
Knuckles nodded. "Yeah, she'll know what to do."  
The two finished their breakfast, then headed off to Vanilla's house.

Sonic knocked politely on the door, and Cream answered, her eyes lighting up as she saw the two. "Mister Sonic! Knuckles!"  
She reached her arms out excitedly for a hug from Knuckles, which the two always seemed to do when they crossed paths.  
Knuckles smiled, handing Skylar over to Sonic. He picked up Cream and gave her one of his signature bear hugs, chuckling.  
Cream hugged him back, Vanilla appearing in the doorway shortly afterwards.  
"Oh! What a pleasant surprise," she said. "Good morning!"  
Sonic waved, holding Skylar with one arm. "Morning!"  
Vanilla then took notice of the baby. "O-oh... is that...?"  
Sonic nodded. "Ehehe, funny story..." he told her, lightly scratching his cheek.  
Knuckles put Cream down and took the puggle back from Sonic.  
"This is Skylar!" he said, grinning widely. "She's our new baby!"  
"B-baby?" Vanilla asked, shocked. "And... she's an echidna... is she from your world?" She wondered if maybe Knuckles wasn't the last echidna in his dimension. "But... even then, she's a perfect match for you two..."  
Sonic shook his head. "I know it's hard to believe, but Knux wished on a star and... well, now we've got a baby!" he said sheepishly. "We were hoping you could give us a few pointers."  
Vanilla took a moment to absorb the information, then nodded giving them a small smile. "I see. Come on in then!" she exclaimed, heading inside.

Everyone followed her inside.  
Knuckles sat down on the couch, still cradling Skylar. The puggle's eyes fluttered open, and she yawned cutely.  
"Aww…" Cream cooed, with Cheese hovering over the baby to get a closer look. "Chao chao..."  
"I guess I'll give you a little crash course in raising a baby," Vanilla said softly. "Think you can handle it?"  
"Of course!" Sonic exclaimed. "Me and Knux can handle anything together!"  
Knuckles nodded in agreement, smiling widely in excitement.

And so, the teaching began. Vanilla taught them all about what she knew; how to take care of a baby, how to feed one, how much sleep they need, and so on.  
Sonic and Knuckles listened closely and patiently. It actually wasn't too hard to follow, and judging by how Skylar was reacting to Vanilla, she already seemed very well-behaved.  
"I hope I can remember all of this!" Knuckles said with a chuckle. "Good thing I've got you," he added, winking at Sonic.  
Sonic blushed lightly. "Don't worry; I'm sure we can handle it!" he exclaimed, winking back.  
Vanilla giggled. "I bet you two will do a wonderful job."  
Suddenly, Skylar began to cry.  
"Oh no, what's wrong?" Knuckles asked in concern. "Oh, is she hungry?"  
"Probably," Vanilla replied. "Hold on."  
She got up, then moved out to the kitchen and brought back a jar and a spoon. "Which one of you want to feed her?"  
Sonic smiled, taking Skylar and setting her on his lap. "You wanna do it, Knux?"  
Knuckles smiled too. "Yeah. I'm gonna need the practice!"  
Vanilla handed over the jar and spoon. "That's a little mixture I made; it should be perfect for her," she said.  
Knuckles took the spoon and scooped out some of the mixture, holding it up to Skylar. She sniffed it curiously, then took a "bite", making an adorable "nom" sound as she did.  
Cream giggled, admiring how cute the baby was.  
"Perfect," Vanilla complimented with a smile.

Pretty soon, Skylar was done eating.  
"How'd I do?" Knuckles asked.  
"I think you did really good!" Cream exclaimed.  
Vanilla nodded in agreement. "You'll make a lovely father."  
Knuckles blushed. "Y-ya think so?"  
"Of course I do," Vanilla said. "You're kind, gentle, and extremely sweet. You'll do great."  
Sonic smirked, winking at Knuckles. "Just one of the reasons why I married him."  
Knuckles blushed further at Sonic's comment, smiling.  
Skylar giggled, as if agreeing with the others.  
"And how about this..." Vanilla began. "I always have extra ingredients lying around. I could make special food and drinks for your little baby," she said, lightly tickling Skylar's tummy. "I wouldn't mind making her some clothes either."  
Skylar giggled.  
"You'd really do that?" Knuckles replied. "That's so nice of you!"  
Cream smiled wide. "And I can visit you two and bring Mama's stuff over whenever she does!"  
"Sounds like a plan then!" Sonic exclaimed.  
"Thanks guys," Knuckles said. "I dunno what we'd do without you!" he added with a chuckle.  
Sonic nodded in agreement.  
"Oh, stop," Vanilla said with a dismissive wave of her hand, though unable to stop smiling. "You two are too sweet."  
Skylar yawned, her eyes drooping.  
"Aw, someone's sleepy!" Knuckles said with a giggle.  
Sonic lightly pet Skylar's head. "Yeah, we'll have to stop at a store or somethin' and get a bunch of stuff for her."  
"I think that's a wonderful idea," Vanilla said. "Though, I'm curious... do your other friends know about this?" she asked, looking at Knuckles.  
Sonic's eyes widened, and he suddenly burst into laughter. "That's gonna be great! I can't wait to see the look on the other me's face!"  
Knuckles joined in on Sonic's laughter. "They're gonna be so surprised!"  
"But for now, it's probably best for you two to take care of the baby's needs," Vanilla reminded them.  
Sonic's laughter quickly stopped as he smiled sheepishly. "Hehe, right."  
He headed for the door. "Let's go, Knux!"  
Knuckles nodded, picking up Skylar in his arms and walking over to Sonic.  
"Thanks again!" he called to Vanilla and Cream. "See ya!"  
"Bye!" Vanilla and Cream said as they waved together.

Sonic and Knuckles headed out to the store, just as they planned. They skipped out on clothes, as Vanilla had already offered to make her own for Skylar, then picked up everything they needed and headed home.  
Sonic practically collapsed on the couch as they got there, letting out a small groan. "So many decisions," he said, clearly glad that they were done shopping.  
Knuckles sat down next to him, still holding Skylar. "So, now what?"  
"Hmm..." Sonic went over to all the bags they'd brought home and pulled out a large box. "I guess we set up her crib."  
Knuckles nodded. "Where are we gonna put it?"  
Sonic thought a little harder about that. "We don't have a guest room," he muttered. "so... maybe we could put it in my room? Or downstairs; which is pretty much just that huge room? We haven't done anything with that room yet."  
"Think there's enough space in the bedroom?" Knuckles asked. "I...I'd like to have her close by, you know?"  
Sonic giggled, amused by how cute Knuckles was being. "Should be. I didn't use this place too often before you came along, so I don't have a lot of stuff; you know that."  
He picked up the box, then headed into the bedroom to set up the crib.  
Knuckles followed him, smiling.  
"Ya hear that, Sky?" he whispered to the sleeping puggle in his arms. "You're getting your own place to sleep! And your daddies will be right there if you need anything."

Sonic opened up the box as the two got to the bedroom, then pulled out the crib and opened it up. He got blankets and everything he needed for inside, then set them into it.  
"Alright. Let's see if she likes it," he said, staring over at Skylar.  
Knuckles placed Skylar in her crib. She opened her eyes, staring up at her fathers.  
Sonic smiled at her, gently placing the blanket over her body. "Sleep tight, Sky."  
But as they started moving away from the crib, Skylar began to cry.  
"What's wrong, Sky?" Knuckles became concerned.  
"Ah, I was worried this'd happen," Sonic muttered. "We let her sleep with us last night and now she doesn't wanna sleep on her own."  
"Awww...what should we do?" Knuckles asked.  
Sonic frowned, tapping his foot on the ground as he debated. He didn't want Skylar to be upset, but would she ever move out of their bed if they continued to let her sleep with them?  
Knuckles meanwhile went over to the crib and picked up Skylar, gently rocking her in his strong arms.  
"Hey, hey, it's okay, we aren't leaving you alone. We'll be close by, okay?" He knew the puggle probably didn't understand a word of that, but he still hoped it would help her calm down somewhat.  
"Any luck?" Sonic asked, watching the baby closely.  
Skylar seemed to calm down a little, but was still clearly upset about being separated from her fathers. Knuckles was doing his best to comfort her.  
Sonic lightly scratched the little puggle, then set her back down in the crib. He sped out, then returned to the room with a nightlight, plugging it into the wall. "There we go."  
Knuckles smiled. "There, see? You're safe."  
Skylar seemed much calmer now, though still unsure if she wanted to go to sleep.  
Sonic crawled onto the bed, then held his arms out for Knuckles. "C'mon over to bed now. I need my puppy," he said, winking at the red echidna.  
Knuckles blushed and smiled. "Be right there!"  
He kissed Skylar on the head. "Sleep well!"  
Skylar giggled.  
Knuckles climbed into bed and snuggled up to Sonic.  
Sonic giggled; 'Puppy' had become his pet name of sorts for Knuckles after he'd gotten married to him, and his husband certainly seemed to enjoy it.  
"You better sleep well too, okay?" he asked, giving Knuckles a small kiss on the forehead.  
Knuckles giggled. "You too!"  
He kissed Sonic on the cheek.  
Sonic blushed lightly, then leaned into Knuckles' chest and slowly fell asleep.  
Knuckles wrapped his arms around Sonic and snuggled into him, and he too soon drifted off.  
Skylar finally decided that it was safe, so she curled up and went to sleep as well.

Time soon passed, and Sonic and Knuckles got more and more used to having Skylar around. Vanilla made her clothes, and Cream visited often with new recipes that her mother had made for the little puggle to try.

The weekend then rolled around, and since that was usually Knuckles' time to visit his old universe anyway, he and Sonic had decided to go together to show Skylar off to the rest of the gang.  
With the baby held firmly in Knuckles' arms, Sonic pressed the button on his teleportor, sending the two straight to the other world. Sonic couldn't help the silly grin on his face; he wanted to see his counterpart's reaction _so_ badly.  
Knuckles was both excited and a bit nervous to introduce his friends to his daughter. He couldn't help smiling though, as he watched Skylar curiously looking around at her surroundings.

The two headed out to the beach, where Knuckles' friends were almost sure to be.  
Tails was the first to take notice, waving. "Hey, Knuckles! Nice to see you!"  
His words got the others' attention, and once Sonic and Knuckles walked close enough, they all quickly noticed the puggle in the echidna's arm.  
The taller Sonic's mouth dropped. "You...you didn't... that's not...?"  
Knuckles grinned. "This is Skylar-our daughter."  
The look on the taller Sonic's face was priceless. "Y-you're not... serious, are you?"  
Amy lit up, walking over to the baby. "Awww, she's so cute! She even has Sonic's eyes!" She lightly scratched at the girl's tummy. "I'm guessing you adopted her?"  
The smaller Sonic grinned sheepishly. "Uh, sorta? If you count Knuckles wishin' on a star and the baby appearing right in our arms 'adoption'."  
Amy lit up even more. "Really!? That's so romantic and sweet!" she cooed.  
Skylar giggled, clearly enjoying the attention she was getting. Knuckles smiled as Amy was gushing over the puggle.  
"I don't know if I trust it," Sticks said, crossing her arms.  
"I think it's really fascinating!" Tails argued, flying up to Skylar to take a closer look. "It resembles both of you and everything!"  
"Yeah...she does, doesn't she?" Knuckles replied.  
"Just means that she's got both of her fathers' good looks," the smaller Sonic boasted, though a silly grin on his face to show he was just playing around.  
"Well, if you ever need someone to babysit, you could always call me," Amy offered. "Can I hold her?"  
"Sure!" Knuckles replied, handing Skylar over to her.  
Amy held the puggle, looking extremely excited but also trying to stay calm. "Hello there, little Skylar," she said. "You can just call me 'Auntie Amy'!"  
Skylar giggled. So did Knuckles.  
"Would that make Sonic the uncle then?" Tails asked with a small grin.  
The taller Sonic's ear perked. "NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT," he shouted. "This is weird enough as it is!"  
His smaller counterpart covered his mouth, unable to stop laughing.  
Skylar looked over at the taller Sonic, tilting her head, wondering why he looked and sounded so much like one of her fathers.  
The blue-armed Sonic looked back at her. "...She's staring at me."  
He quickly realized her reasoning and threw his hands in the air. "I'm not your dad! _He_ is!" He pointed to his counterpart. "I look nothing like him!"  
Skylar giggled, holding her arms out, as if wanting the taller Sonic to hold her.  
His mouth dropped as he wondered if the baby was just being snarky with him. He glared at his counterpart. "She gets that from you, doesn't she?"  
The tan-armed Sonic just smirked and shrugged.  
"C'mon, Sonic," Amy said softly. "Don't you want your own someday? You should get used to holding on!"  
Her boyfriend stammered, now flustered by Amy's words as he was given the baby to hold. He had to admit, the little puggle _was_ really cute and seemed nice. "Uh... hey there?"  
Skylar looked up at him and giggled.  
"Hey, I think she likes you!" Knuckles said with a grin.  
The smaller Sonic faked a gasp, then fell to the ground in dramatic fashion. "Sky, how could you betray me," he mumbled, doing his best to hold back a smile.  
Sky giggled even more at her father's antics.  
"Anyone else wanna hold her?" Knuckles asked the group, wanting to make sure everyone got a turn.  
Tails and Sticks got their own turns holding the baby (though Amy was cautious and supported Sticks during her turn for safety), then Skylar was returned to Knuckles.  
"You should show her around the village," Amy suggested. "I know this isn't her world, but you'll have her visit, won't you?" she asked, excited at the thought of seeing the baby more often.  
Knuckles nodded. "Definitely!"  
His husband stood back up and smiled, turning and starting to head towards the village. "Let's go then, Knux!" he exclaimed.  
"At least he didn't call him 'Puppy' this time," his blue-armed counterpart mumbled under his breath.  
Knuckles followed him into the village. "Let's show you around, Sky!" he said to the puggle in his arms.

The three went around the village a little, until Sonic's ear twitched at a small whine coming from behind a garbage can. "Hm?"  
He stopped walking, then headed towards the noise.  
Knuckles heard it too. "Huh?"  
He went up to where Sonic was standing. "What is it?"  
Sonic walked around the garbage can, seeing a tiny lavender cat sitting there, probably being around the same age as Skylar. She was dirty and looked sad, whimpering somewhat.  
Sonic frowned, looking around for anyone who the cat might've belonged to.  
He then knelt down, surprising the baby cat slightly. "Hey there, little one," he said softly, holding his arms out. "Need a lift?"  
She seemed hesitant, staring at Sonic's hand warily, but his voice seemed to calm her and she crawled onto his waiting hands.  
Sonic held close and stood up, allowing her to rest against his chest despite how dirty she was.  
"Aw, poor kitty," Knuckles said with a frown. "Who would just leave her like that?"  
"I dunno," Sonic muttered worriedly. "Should we look around to see who her parents are?" he asked. "Maybe they just lost her somehow."  
"Yeah, good idea," Knuckles replied.

Though the two spent a whole two hours looking for the baby's parents, it was to no avail; no one even recognized her.  
Sonic sighed, then dipped his glove in a fountain nearby and wiped some of the dirt and grime off the kitten's face. "...Hey."  
She looked up at him, her yellow eyes sparkling curiously.  
"She looks kinda like Blaze, if she was a baby," he mused. He stared over at Knuckles. "Doesn't she? I've told ya about Blaze before, haven't I?" he asked.  
"I think so," Knuckles replied. Then his eyes widened. "Hey, maybe this _is_ her! But like, from my world."  
"That'd make sense," Sonic said, observing the dirty kitten.  
He paused, then looked up at Knuckles shyly. He just knew that he didn't want to let go of her; she looked so lonely and was already attached to him. "...Can we keep her?"  
Knuckles was surprised by this, but he giggled. "I don't see why not!"  
He held Skylar closer to Blaze. "Look Sky, you've got a sister now!"  
Skylar smiled and giggled in greeting. Blaze stared back, then giggled too.  
Sonic smiled, bringing Knuckles down to his level to kiss him. "Thanks, Puppy."  
Knuckles blushed and grinned. "N-no prob! So, should we get the kids home?"  
Sonic nodded. "Yeah, let's get Blaze cleaned up and let Vanilla know that we've got another kid," he said with a chuckle. "She's gotta get used to my world, after all."  
Knuckles nodded. "Sounds good to me!"

Cutting their visit to Knuckles' world short, the two went back to Sonic's universe and headed home. Sonic took Blaze off to the sink, then gave her a gentle wash (knowing she was a cat and probably didn't care for water; he could relate). "How's that?"  
The kitten giggled, happy about being cleaned of all the dirt.  
Sonic grinned, holding her close and bring her back to Knuckles. "Did someone order a dirt-free kitten?" he asked, offering to 'trade' Knuckles babies to give the red echidna an opportunity to hold Blaze. "I need one cute puggle as payment."  
"Here ya go," Knuckles said with a giggle, handing Skylar over to Sonic and taking Blaze instead.  
He smiled softly. "Hey there, Blaze."  
Blaze looked up at Knuckles curiously, then ran her hand along the fur on his chest.  
Sonic meanwhile lightly pet Skylar's head. "Hey, Sky. Nice to see ya again," he said with a playful smile.  
Skylar giggled, enjoying the attention from her other father.  
Knuckles chuckled. "I'm your dad now," he said to Blaze. "Well, one of them anyway. You get two dads; how cool is that?"  
Blaze let out a squeak of approval, smiling up at him.  
Sonic smiled too, walking over and touching his forehead to Knuckles'. "And we're all one big happy family, right?"  
Knuckles grinned. "Yep!"  
He shifted Blaze to just one of his arms, then used his free arm to pull Sonic and Skylar into a big group hug.  
Sonic chuckled, moving Skylar onto one arm and hugging Knuckles back as best as he could.  
He then pulled away, giving Knuckles a small grin. "By the way, can I tell ya a secret?" he asked.  
"Oooh, what is it?" Knuckles asked curiously.  
Sonic blushed lightly, then scratched his cheek. "That shooting star...? You weren't the only one who made a wish."  
He laughed softly, then gave Knuckles a firm kiss before gazing down at Blaze. "I wished for a kid too."


End file.
